Fear
by Leap of Faith
Summary: While living with her mother in the States for her sixth year she was assaulted. Now she's back at Hogwarts; very wary around the male gender. Can one boy change her mind, or will her past come back to haunt her in the worst possible way? Complete.
1. Chapter One

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Authors note: This first chapter, and the others somewhat, is based on a real-life experience – thus making it, most likely, original. 

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Disclaimer: The Harry Potter characters belong to J.K. Rowling does. Salem School for Witches and Wizards is just something I made up. It's doesn't really exist in the Harry Potter world. (Not that we know of anyway.) Any names you don't recognize are mine – obviously.

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Fear

By: Ms. Perfect

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,

Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,

While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,

As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.

"'Tis some visitor," I muttered, "tapping at my chamber door-

Only this, and nothing more." 

- Edgar Allan Poe: "The Raven"

*****

Lily Evans looked around the airport in Massachusetts in vain. Wanting to scream, she just squeezed between the many tall people. _I love being tiny. _She thought as she wove between the people. The five-foot-two, red head, sixteen-year-old knew she was tiny enough to be mistaken for an eleven-year-old. Hell, she _was_ mistaken for an eleven-year-old.

Lily saw her mothers' head and smiled. She may not get along with her mother very well, but she still missed her sometimes. Though she didn't miss her older sister, Petunia, she knew she would have to see her until she went to school. Even if she knew that she would only see her mother for a period of two days before she was taken to Salem School for Witches and Wizards.

She was being slightly forced to live with her mother for a year. The only thing she knew about it was that apparently Dumbledorr had contacted her father about something and then _poof!_ before she knew it she was being shipped off to America like some criminal in the 1600s.

"Hey, Mum," Lily said.

Amelia Evans smiled, "hello, honey."

Lily put down her backpack and looked around her new room. She was the only transfer to Salem. How would she fit in here? She didn't know anyone... hell – she was in a whole new country for crying out loud!

She had yet to meet any of her dormmates and was looking forward to at least trying to make friends. Lily wasn't exactly what you would call the "best" at making and keeping her friends. She had a tendency to push them away unknowingly. And her older sister, Petunia, didn't help.

__

You would think that she would be happy for me... Lily thought. _Not claim that I was a freak and try to tell Pappy that I shouldn't even be around. I'm glad that she went to live with Mum._

But Lily and Petunia's father didn't think Lily was a freak. In fact, he was extremely proud of the fact that he would have a witch in the family. Her mother, however, detested it ... contrary to belief.

Lily heard the door opening and so she turned to pretend that she hadn't been waiting for her dormmates to come, but had really been putting all her books in the bookcase.

"Who are you?" one of the girls demanded.

"Chris!" another voice hissed and a smack was heard.

Lily turned around to see two girls. One was tall and very skinny; she had an annoyed look on her face. The other, however, was not too much taller than Lily, but slightly heavier; though it looked like all muscle. Her flyaway curly hair was blonde-brown; she looked nice.

"Sorry 'bout my friend here." The curly haired girl said. "She doesn't have any _manners_."

The other girl glared and crossed her arms.

"Oh..." Lily said in a quiet voice. "I'm Lily Evans. I just transferred here from England."

"What year are you?" the shrewd looking one asked.

The other girl snorted as if she was trying to hold in laughter. "Duh, she's in sixth year. Otherwise – she wouldn't be in here! I'm Chelsea Shepherd. No sheep jokes, please. This is my friend Christina Smith."

"Hi," Lily said with a smile. "Are you the only girls in here?"

"Yeah. She scared everyone away," Chelsea said with a playful laugh.

Lily smiled again. At least she wouldn't have to deal with a bunch of girls.

"What's with the accent?" Christina asked.

Lily stared at her. "Accent? Oh! – Accent. I'm from _England_. I thought we just covered that."

Chelsea roared with laughed until Christina smacked her in the arm.

"Don't hit me, Chris." Chelsea said as she glared. "Oh crap! We're going to be late for out first class!"

"You have classes on your first day back?" Lily said as she pulled her hair into ponytail, grabbed her schoolbag, and they ran out the door.

"Yeah. We've got Potions first – urgh..." Chris said.

"You can say that again." Lily agreed.

"Why do you guys say that? I like Potions!" Chelsea said.

Lily gave her a weird look. "If you had Professor Tinstar, you'd hate it too. He gives detention for breathing loudly!"

The threesome ran into the Potions lab and as they screeched to a halt, they plopped down at the first tables they saw. Everyone, including the Professor, was staring at them.

"How nice of you to fit us into your daily life." She said sternly, but there was a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "As I was saying ... please get out your books and turn to page 554. We will be working a complicated potion so partner up with someone who you work well with."

Lily watched as everyone paired up. That was okay though, she worked much better alone. She got out her book and flipped to the correct page, already having done the same potion back home.

"You there, Red." The Professor called.

Lily could only assume it was she the Professor was talking about. "Yes?"

"What's your name? Where's your partner?"

"Lily Evans, ma'am." Her English accent thick, but understandable. "I don't have a partner. Nor do I need one."

The Professor loomed over her, but not menacingly like Tinstar. "Why not?"

"I've – I've already done this potion..." Lily replied.

"Where are you from?"

"Hogwarts ... ma'am."

The class erupted into a flurry of whispers. And to Lily's surprise, the Professor was smiling.

"I should have guess. That old Tinstar still there? – Frightening old fellow, that one."

Lily nodded. "He's my Potions teacher."

"You'll get along just fine here, Ms. Evans. Just fine indeed." She said before yelling at the class for silence.

It was now the middle of May and Lily had made many lasting friendships – including one with the nice Potions teacher (who was still calling her "Red"). But none as great as Chelsea's. They had declared themselves blood sisters. They would have sealed the 'blood sisters' oath, but Chelsea had this weird thing about blood so they had just spit-shook on it.

"Why is he staring at me still? It's creepy!" Lily whispered her Chelsea at lunch.

"Lil, I told you this already. He likes you!" Chelsea replied.

Lily glanced over at him, then back to Chelsea. "I don't care! He's creeping me out by staring at me all the time."

Chelsea took a bite of her Cheerios, "okay, I get it. Where's Nick?"

Nick was another one of Chelsea and Lily's good friends. "I don't know. He's probably on his broomstick." Lily said suggestively, wiggling her eyebrows.

Chelsea snorted with laughter so hard that her Cheerios flew out of her nose.

Lily shrieked and jumped from her seat at the table, but laughed at the same time while Chelsea was holding her nose screaming: "Ow! Ow! Ow!"

Everyone who was still in the Hall was either laughing or staring at Chelsea.

"Lily – Ann – Evans!" Chelsea yelled. "I'm going to _kill_ you!"

Lily ran from the Hall with Chelsea right on her tail.

"I didn't mean for that to happen!" Lily screamed as she slid around a corner –

– And right into the reason for Lily's impending death: Nick.

Then something happened that had never happened before. Everything and everyone froze – with the exception of Lily. Then unfroze.

"Whoa, where's the fire?" Nick asked as he took the brunt of their fall. 

"What the hell?" she said to herself.

Lily jumped up and looked behind her. Chelsea was laughing hysterically.

"Never mind," Nick muttered.

Chelsea and Lily laughed at him and both stuck there hands down to help him up. He grabbed one of each. The two girls smiled evilly and pulled him up hard and watched as the momentum flung him forward.

"You two should not be allowed to hang out together." Nick said as he regained his balance.

They slapped palms. That was their fourth time that day already they had been told that – making that 654 times since Lily had met Chelsea. 

"Hey, Nick. Where's Chels?" Lily asked her friend. It was two weeks until school would be out and Lily would be going back home to England, her father, and Hogwarts. She still hated that she had to move to the States for a year to live with her mother. She would much rather be with her father.

Nick shrugged, "I don't know. Maybe she woke up late. She could be at the Hall."

"Yeah. That's true. I didn't check to see if she was up this mornin'." Lily said. When they walked inside, Lily saw another on of her friends; they liked to say they were twins because they looked so much alike. But she also saw _him _standing by her. Samantha was a friend of his girlfriend. 

Austin Elsworth was another boy in her year. At first, they had been great friends. He had even had a crush on her. Then, after she told him that she didn't like him the way he liked her, he started drifting away.

Lily took a deep breath and went over to talk to Sam; purposely putting her back towards Austin. As he had been nothing short of evil as of late.

"Hey, Sam. Have you seen Chelsea today?" Lily asked.

Samantha shook her head. "No, I haven't seen her yet. I usually don't until after you guys get out of Potions – and knowing you two, covered with some weird potion you "whipped up"!"

Sam and Lily laughed about their inside joke as Nick looked on with a confused expression. But Lily's laugh was cut short as she felt an arm wrap around her neck and lift her up.

She clawed at the arm, but it wouldn't give. She tried to put her feet back on the ground, but she was too short. Lily opened her mouth, gasping for the oxygen she was being deprived of.

__

What's happening? Let go of me! Her mind screamed. As more pressure was put on her fragile neck, Lily's eyes started to roll up in her head and she saw the darkness of unconsciousness closing in on her. _Please let go!_ Her mind asked again. Trying for another breath of air, she felt the arm loosen around her neck and she dropped to the floor.

Holding her throat and gasping for air, she looked up from the floor at her assailant. It was Austin. She got up and faced him, wanting to punch him right in his smiling face; but she didn't. And then she turned to go to her first class, still taking in deep breaths of air.

"Lily – what happened to your neck?" Christina asked.

Lily looked at the girl who had been so mean to her when they had first met. "N—nothing."

"Why is it all red?" she asked as they walked down to the Potions lab.

"I – I was rubbing it this morning. It was sore. Guess I rubbed it too hard." Lily lied again. She couldn't tell her the truth. She couldn't tell her friend that someone she thought was at least slightly her friend had just assaulted her in the corridor of her own school. _Why didn't he just use magic? It would have been easier – wouldn't it?_

Chris opened her mouth to ask another question, but stopped herself.

"Have you seen Chelsea?" Lily asked.

"Yeah, she went to get some Pepperup Potion from the nurse. She wasn't feeling all that great." Kat replied.

__

Neither am I... Lily thought. "Okay. She better get here soon or she'll be late." She said aloud.

"Nope, I'm not late." Chelsea's voice came from behind.

Lily turned around and raised an eyebrow. The Pepperup Potion was making steam come out of her ears. It was certainly interesting looking.

"Oh shut up." Chelsea said. "Lil, what happened to your neck?"

Lily diverted her eyes past Chelsea's head, but yet she still looked like she was staring Chelsea straight in the eyes. "Nothing. I was just rubbing it this morning. It was sore."

"Red, Chelsea – stop talking." The Professor called as she entered the room. The two girls sat down and opened their books.

For the rest of the day, Lily was silent; she spoke only when she needed to. Nor did she look at anyone directly. By the end of the day, many people had asked her what was wrong.

"You must've rubbed your neck pretty hard," Chelsea said when they were at dinner.

Lily put her hand to her neck. "What d'you mean?"

"It's bruised." Chelsea replied.

Nick was staring at Lily accusingly.

"Oh... I – I, uh. Yeah... must have." Lily stuttered.

"_Rubbed your neck_?" Nick said.

Lily gave him a look that clearly said: "shut the hell up – _now_."

And Chelsea didn't miss that look. "Okay, what the hell do you know that I don't, Nick?"

Lily kicked Nick under the table as he opened his mouth.

"Austin put her in a choke hold in the corridor this morning." Nick said, rubbing his leg.

"He _what_!" Chelsea erupted. Many people looked at Chelsea.

"It's in the past." Lily mumbled. "Let's let it stay there."

"No. _No_." Chelsea said fiercely. "You're coming with me."

Lily opened her mouth to protest, but Chelsea had already lifted her from her seat and was dragging her down the corridors towards the Headmistresses office.

Chelsea stormed right into the room without knocking and waited to be acknowledged.

"Yes, Chelsea?" the Headmistress asked. She sounded exasperated.

Chelsea moved Lily's hair out of the way so the bruises were visible. "Professor, it's definitely gotten worse." They had been to the Headmistresses office earlier that year to report that Austin was harassing them.

The Headmistress snatched her glasses off her face. "What happened, Lily?"

Lily looked down at the floor. "What's done is done. I'm going to be gone in two weeks. If you would allow it, Professor, I would like it if you didn't mention this to my parents – or anyone for that matter."

"Who did this to you?" she asked.

"It doesn't matter. I don't want retribution for what he did. I just – want to go home." Lily replied.

"Austin Elsworth." Chelsea piped up.

"I shall take care of this. In the meantime – I will not tell your parents; though I think it would be best if I did." Headmistress said.

"Thank you." Lily said in a quiet voice.

Chelsea looked defeated. She wanted to kill Austin for what he did to her. Lily had come to this school with very little self-confidence. Chelsea had helped her build it up; and now it was all shattered again.

And Lily didn't want retribution because she knew that he would come back at her again and try to hurt her more than he already had. Her trust for men was all but gone.

"God, I wish you could come with me." Lily said. They were at the train station again; Lily hadn't seen this place since September.

"I know. I would _love_ to go to Hogwarts." Chelsea replied.

"Lily? We really must get going." Lily's mother called.

Lily sighed, "I'll miss you."

"Miss you too. But I promise to write you!" Chelsea replied.

They gave each other and hug and then slapped their palms together like they had when they declared themselves blood sisters.

Lily's mother herded her into a car and she turned to look out the back window. "Bye..." she mouthed.

"Bye, Lil." Chelsea replied. And then her best friend was gone.

Lily watched Chelsea until they had turned a corner and she could no longer see her best friend. She put her hands up to the sides of her neck and rubbed lightly. Paranoid is what she was now. She couldn't have anyone put his or her hands on her neck. Lily especially hated when people came up behind her and put their arm over her shoulder and wrapped it around to hold the other shoulder. No matter how loosely they did it, it always brought back horrid memories and sent her into a mode that she wouldn't snap out of until she had calmed down and realized that it wasn't Austin coming back to get her again.

~~

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Author's note: I don't really know what to write... But I can say that this brought back many memories. Hope you liked the first chapter – please review.


	2. Chapter Two

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Fear

By: Ms. Perfect

"Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart." - Unknown

*****

"Pappy!" Lily yelled when she saw her father at the airport. She ran towards him and leapt into his arms and felt him spin her around.

"I'm so glad your back!" Her father said.

Lily's feet were put back on the ground and they walked towards the baggage claim. "How's the team this year?"

"Waitin' for you to whip 'em into shape. In fact, I thought we'd stop at the rink for a look." He replied.

Lily grinned. She may be seventeen in August, but she still was helpful to her fathers' high school summer hockey team. Since she could remember she had been in the box with her father, yelling at the players if they did something wrong.

Lily grabbed one of her bags as her father grabbed the other. They walked towards their car and drove towards the stadium where he coached.

"Did you get any new players?" Lily asked.

"Yeah, one boy is your age. He just came for the summer." Her father replied.

Lily looked interested. Chelsea had sparked her interest in guys that her friends in Hogwarts had been trying to since their third year. "Why only for the summer?"

"He goes to Hogwarts with you. Remus Lupin. His father wanted him to play, he said it would help Remus play Quidditch better." He replied.

__

This will be fun. Lily thought. She knew who Remus was. He was one of the boys who hung out with trickster James Potter. They had played many tricks on Lily's friends, and now she could get some payback on the hockey rink.

Lily jumped out of the car before it even came to a complete stop. Her father jumped out behind her after he turned it off and chased after her as she ran into the arena. She could hear the whistles of the assistant coach.

"I want the offense on the rink – now! Defense, take a seat!" Gary, assistant coach, yelled.

Lily smiled and shoved her curly red hair that had escaped from her ponytail behind her ear. Her green eyes were alight with glee. She only had a month to whip these boys into shape.

As she walked into the box, one of the defensive players looked over in her general direction.

"Lily?" he called as he took off his helmet.

Lily looked at the man. It was her best guy friend from childhood.

"Ricky!" She ran towards him and gave him a hug. They did their old childhood handshake and smiled. "Whew, you smell," she said playfully. "How's the knee?"

"Never better. I had an operation on it while you were gone. It's good as new." Ricky replied.

Lily looked over at the offensive men and smiled. Until, that is, she spotted something. "No! Erikson – stop being so slow! I thought you were faster than that!" she yelled to the goalie.

Lily's father laughed.

"She sure hasn't changed, Frank." Gary said to him.

"Nope." Frank said.

"Nice to see you back, too, Lil!" Erikson yelled back.

"Yeah! Just don't let that puck get past you!" Lily yelled back.

A teasing voice drifted from behind her saying: "shouldn't you be doing something more ... girl-like?"

Lily turned to see none other than Remus standing behind her. "Shouldn't you be doing something more magical?" she countered teasingly.

Frank Evans turned to look at Remus with a grin on his face. "Watch out, Lupin. She owns this team."

"You can say that again, coach!" Kyle called as he re-laced his skates.

Lily gave Remus a knowing look.

"No wonder you're always trying to give the Quidditch team some pointers." Remus said with a chuckle.

"If only that idiot, Potter, would listen to me," Lily huffed. "I'm not just some silly girl intent on getting him."

"Trust me, you make that clearer than you think," Remus replied.

Lily scowled. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You act as if you hate him."

Lily shrugged and turned back to the practice. Still shouting out things for improvement. Like her father, she practically demanded perfection.

"No! You stupid ref – that was high-sticking!" Lily yelled at her TV.

Ricky and Remus exchanged looks. Had she seen something they didn't? 

The three friends were at Lily's house watching the hockey game and the two men were very amused.

"If possible, I think she's more into the game than she was before she left." Ricky said.

"I heard that, Ricky." Lily said, but she had a smile on her face. "So what if I like hockey?"

"He never said there was anything wrong with that. Heck, we wouldn't be such a good team without you, Lil." Remus said in Ricky's defense.

"No shit," Lily said. Then she slapped her palm over her mouth. "Sorry."

Ricky waved it off. Sure he was a hockey player, but he wasn't too happy with swearing.

"What day is it anyway?" Lily asked. She tended to lose track of the days when she wasn't at Hogwarts.

"We've got three days until we have to catch the train." Remus replied.

Lily sighed. She couldn't wait to get back!

"Leaving me again, are you?" Ricky asked.

"Yeah. I can't wait to get back. The school I was in last year had a way more advanced class that I really liked." 

"Do they have that class at your other school?" Ricky asked.

"Yup, but not as advanced. It's actually my best class." Lily felt bad that she couldn't tell her friend she was a witch.

Knowledge sprung up in Remus' eyes. She was talking about Charms class.

"I had better go. My Mum still thinks I'm a baby. If I don't see you before you go – have fun!" Ricky said as he walked out the door.

"You too!" Lily called.

"Advanced Charms?" Remus asked.

Lily nodded. "There was this great charm that allowed you to get into a persons dreams. Only catch is if something were to happen to the dreamer or the person invading; it would mirror onto their physical bodies. That makes it dangerous."

"You'll have to teach me that one." Remus said with a smile.

Lily's father gave Remus and Lily a ride to King's Cross Station three days later. Remus' father had sent his sons things over when Lily's father offered to take them both to the station.

"Bye Pappy," Lily said as she hugged him.

"Three months was too short. I think I should keep you here," he joked.

"You wouldn't!" Lily gasped knowing that her father was only joking.

"Already miss you," he replied.

"Right back at'cha," she said as she and Remus pushed their trolleys through the barrier.

"Guess we go our separate ways now, huh?" Remus said.

Lily nodded solemnly. She and Remus had become good friends; he was one of the three guys she could trust.

"See you at the Sorting," Lily said before they split up.

Lily quickly spotted her friends, Arabella and Jacqueline. They were in the meeting stop they had used since first year. "Got room for one more?" she asked.

"Lily!" her friends screamed before practically pouncing on her.

"I'm back!" she said with a smile. "Let's get our compartment before it's taken. I'll fill you in on Salem."

The girls went to put their trunks into the slots on the side of the Express and then climbed aboard to get their compartment.

When James Potter heard girls' scream he had turned his head to see why. He then realized that it was because a pretty red head had joined their group.

"D'you know who that girl is?" James asked his best friend and cohort, Sirius Black.

Sirius looked over there, then shrugged. "She doesn't look familiar to me. D'you, Moony?"

"What?" Moony, or Remus, asked.

"D'you know who that red-head over there is." Sirius answered.

"Yeah," then his expression turned to one of suspicion. "Why?"

James answered this time. "I've never seen her before. She's pretty, what d'you think, Padfoot?"

The boys put their chest into the holding compartments as Remus struggled to hold in his laughter.

"Now, what's so funny?" Sirius said after nodding in agreement with James.

"The girl –" Remus erupted in laughter. "The girl you think is pretty – James – that's Lily Evans!"

"What!" James and Sirius exclaimed. They looked at each other both thinking the same thing: They had thought that tomboyish little Lily Evans was _pretty_?

"Yeah, she came back from the States this summer. Her father was the coach of my hockey team. And obviously from your reactions, the year away was very kind to her." Remus said as they sat down in the usual compartment.

"So, what happened in the States?" Arabella asked.

Lily smiled mischievously. "Well, I gained a blood sister, Chelsea. Actually, she accomplished something you all have been trying to do since third year."

"What?" Jackie asked.

"Get me interested in guys." Lily said with a grin.

"Finally!" her friends said.

"Jeez, you sound like I never would have ever been interested in guys."

Jackie laughed, "well, it _did _take you until Seventh year."

"Correction: Sixth." Lily replied.

"Whatever. So what else happened? Details, details!" Arabella demanded.

Lily loved her friends, but sometimes hated their girl talk. "There isn't much to say. I didn't go out with anyone. Had a few crushes, but I didn't feel like they would work out so I didn't act on them. I actually had fun in Potions class – the Professor was really cool. I took an Advanced Charms class. That about sums it up."

"Advanced Charms? Cool!" Arabella said.

"So what's been going on here since I left?" Lily asked.

"Well, Bell's going out with Sirius." Jackie said.

"Jackie!" Bell said, her face turned red.

Lily looked shocked. "How long?"

"Since June..." Bell replied.

"Arabella," Lily started in a menacing voice. Then it changed to one of happiness. "Why on earth didn't you tell me!"

Bell looked flustered. "I – well – I thought you would be pissed!"

"I did reserve the right. But – you know what – I'm happy. At least he's been able to keep a girlfriend for more than a month." Lily said with a wink.

The rest of the ride there, the girls chatted, Lily often looking out the window remembering the things that had happened last year. She hadn't even noticed that they had arrived at the train station until her friends asked her if she was going to get off the train or not.

Lily smiled as she got into the familiar carriage. It was defiantly good to be back. Her smile widened as she saw the turrets of the castle.

"It's good to be back." She said in a wistful voice.

"Not to mention, good to have _you_ back." Jackie added.

Lily looked at her friends. "It is, isn't it?"

The four seventeen year olds walked up the stairs and walked towards the Great Hall. Everything looked the same. They sat down at the Gryffindor table with the rest of the House and awaited the arrival of the First Years.

Lily glanced over to the Transfers table to see if there was anyone new. _Looks familiar..._

She turned her head when all the frightened looking first years entered the Great Hall. She smiled at them, though she knew it would grant them no comfort whatsoever.

"Can you believe that we were that small so long ago?" Jackie whispered as McGonagall, the stern Transfiguration and head of the Gryffindor House, called out the names of the first years.

"Jackie I still _am_ that small." Lily replied with a giggle.

"You've grown a little." Bell said. The girls quickly stopped talking as Dumbledorr had stood up to give some announcements.

"I have some news to bring about before we Sort our new transfer." Dumbledorr said. "First off, I am sorry to say that Professor Tinstar has passed on –" he was cut off as all the students who had already suffered through Tinstar cheered.

Dumbledorr's mouth twitched. "Now, since he is no longer around, I have hired someone I'm sure you will all enjoy. And it is with great pleasure that I can announce that the new Potions teacher is Ms. Jennifer Shepherd."

Lily gasped and snapped her head towards the teachers' door where an all-to-familiar Potions teacher came out. Lily jabbed Bell and Jackie in the ribs. "That's the Potions teacher I was telling you about! – Wait – she has the same last name as Chelsea!"

"Now that she in introduced, it is once again my pleasure to introduce to you all Chelsea Shepherd. Now, Ms. Shepherd, if you would please take a seat so we can get you into your new House."

As Chelsea walked forward, Lily could barely keep from jumping up and hugging her friend. She was so happy to see her! She watched as her best friend sat down on the stool and had the old Sorting Hat placed on her flyaway hair.

After a few seconds of debating, the old Hat finally called out: "GRYFFINDOR!"

Lily clapped with the rest of the Gryffindors as Chelsea walked over calmly. But that didn't last long. Lily jumped up as soon as Chelsea neared her and practically tackled her.

"You didn't tell me that you were coming here!" she said.

Chelsea just grinned happily, "I didn't know I was going to come here until Professor Dumbledorr owled my Mum asking her to take over!"

The two girls laughed and then sat back down, everyone was staring at them.

__

Just like old times. Lily thought with a smile. "Arabella, Jackie, this is Chelsea. Chels, these are my friends I told you about."

"Hey, good job on getting her interested in guys finally!" Jackie said with a grin.

"No problem," Chelsea replied with a laugh.

"Let's hope this year is just like last year." Lily said as she spooned some mashed potatoes onto her plate.

"Well, not _exactly_ like last year." Chelsea replied.

Remus was watching Lily's new friend. There was something strange about her. What it was, he couldn't place. But he just had a gut feeling.

"Moony? Moony!"

James' voice knocked him out of his thoughts and he turned to look at his friends.

"What?"

"So," Sirius started with a grin, "you got the hots for Chelsea already?"

Remus looked startled, "what? No! There's just something – odd about her." Then he shook his head as if the thought was insane. "I think I took to many hits to the head."

James and Sirius exchanged a look that clearly said: "yeah, right."

As Chelsea said that one little phrase, the other girls looked confused, but Lily knew exactly what she was talking about. And she felt the familiar surge of hatred flowing through her.

Then everything froze. Lily looked around, surprised that the "weird freezing thing," as she had dubbed it, had happened again.

"What is happening?" she whispered as everything unfroze.

She looked around as everyone continued what he or she had been doing, totally oblivious to the fact that they had just been frozen. But what Lily had failed to notice was that she wasn't the only one that hadn't been frozen.

Dumbledorr stood one last time to make his final announcement. "Prefects, I will entrust the safety of your fellow House members as you escort them up to the dorms." He said. "And, Ms. Evans, would you please come here for one moment."

Lily looked at Chelsea, Jackie and Bell. It was her first day back, how could she be in trouble already? Chelsea gave her a thumb up and mouthed that she would wait for her.

Lily nodded and then walked up to Professor Dumbledorr. "Yes, sir?"

"Ms. Evans. Do you realize that you just froze the entire Great Hall?" Dumbledorr said.

Blunt as always. Lily gulped. "Y—yes, sir."

"Do you know how you did it?" he asked calmly.

"I don't know. I was just thinking about something that made me angry and then – it froze." She paused, then continued. "Sir – sir, it's happened before. I don't know what it is."

"It's a very coveted – you do know what coveted means?" he continued after she nodded. "It's a very coveted power. With training you will be able to control it. Your power allows you to freeze things at will. Right now it is still premature and unpredictable, but later on it will be controllable."

"Cool," Lily said. "How will I get this training, Professor?"

"You are in luck, Professor Shepherd is an expert in coveted powers. Now I am informed that she was your Potions teacher in Salem, correct?"

Lily nodded.

"Well, then I see no reason that you cannot just have her help you control it. Off you go now." He said with that familiar twinkle in his eyes.

"Thank you, sir." Lily said as she ran across the Great Hall and burst out into the hallway. "Let's get to the Common room. I'll show you around tomorrow."

"'Kay," Chelsea replied as they proceeded to head towards the Gryffindor tower.

__

A coveted power – how? I'm just a plain Muggle-born. I have got to have some killer genes... Lily thought.

~~

****

Author's note: Yeah. Okay, just to clarify this right now: this doesn't center on their school life. In fact, Professors other than Jenni and Dumbledorr will be rarely mentioned. Though it may not seem like it, the school year is progressing. Please review.

Thanks reviewers:

FairySpirite

Erin Potter

Christine

Ice Princess987

Satans Little Princess: I like that name, hehe.

QueenOfTheQueer: You seem to have read my mind about Chelsea coming to Hogwarts.

Princess Evil

meg: What I meant was that it happened to me last year.

SAngel

Min Hee Ha: Yeah, I could have written more about Salem, but I just couldn't think of anything. I just wanted to get to that one point.

Milkyweed: You, too, read my mind about Chelsea coming to Hogwarts. ;)

cheler: Well, if you think about it. She's about 5'2" and he's, well, tall. Would you be able to overpower him? I know I couldn't.

Scarlett*eyes: Hey, one of my really good friends is going to be 16 soon and she's still 4'11 and a half. (She loves to add the 'and a half' part when she's says how tall she is.)

Bluejello: I'm glad I got your attention. That means I did good!

Fluta

JAMES'S INSANE LUVER

lily potter


	3. Chapter Three

****

Fear

By: Ms. Perfect

"First site? That's too easy. I believe in taking a deeper look." - Head Over Heels

*****

Lily arranged it with Chelsea's mother to come after her classes were done for her training. Which would explain why she was in the Potions classroom, her brow furrowed in concentration. She had been practicing for two hours now. Everyday for the past two months she had come.

"Now, Red, I need to you focus on the cat and only the cat," Professor Shepherd said.

Lily took a deep breath in relaxation. Then she stared hard at the cat, chanting over and over in her head, _freeze. Freeze._

She growled in aggravation when the cat wouldn't freeze. It just sat there staring at her, tail switching back and forth.

"That's okay. Don't worry about it," she said.

"It's annoying. My power is so unpredictable and I can't even control it!" Lily replied. And then the cat froze. "Oh, sure, _now_ you freeze."

"Good, at least you froze it. Now try to unfreeze it," Jenni, as she had her students call her, said.

Lily waved her hand stiffly at the cat like Jenni had instructed and the feline unfroze. "It's a lot easier unfreezing than freezing."

"And it will be until you control the freezing part," Jenni said. She then looked at her protégé. "I think we better call it a night."

Lily nodded and then headed out of the room. For some reason, every time she came out of one of her "lessons" she felt drained. Rarely did she have enough energy to do her homework. Thankfully, Chelsea stayed up to help her the whole way through. Lily felt bad that she had to keep her secret from her friend.

"Verano," Lily said to the portrait of the Fat Lady. The portrait swung open to give Lily access to her common room. "I'm back."

"Whoa, you look dead on your feet," Chelsea remarked.

Lily nodded. "I feel like it too. You know what, why don't you go to bed. I only have Arithmancy to do. It shouldn't take long."

"Y'sure?" Chelsea asked.

"Yeah, go get some sleep," Lily said. _Though I'm the one that needs it..._ she thought as she watched her friend walk up the stairs.

Lily walked over to one of the large comfy chairs that sat in front of the fire and bent over her Arithmancy. She could feel her eyelids drooping, but then she would force them back up and continue her writing.

"Lily. Lily wake up."

Lily groaned as she felt someone shaking her shoulder. "Go away..." she mumbled.

"I can't. If I do, you'll never wake up," the voice replied.

Lily placed the voice as one of male gender. And she screamed, still nervous about men.

As a reply a hand was placed over her mouth. She was lifted from the table, and her Arithmancy homework, forced to sit up. Lily eyes were wide with fear, but she was still looking down.

"Are you okay?" the voice asked, removing its hand from her mouth.

Then Lily placed the voice. James Potter. Her eyes flew up and she found herself staring into chocolate brown eyes. Eyes that she could get lost in... She shook her head. "Can I help you?"

"Yeah, actually. You can tell me why you're so tired all the time," James replied.

"What time is it?" Lily asked.

"Six. Do you always ask questions instead of answering them?"

"That's a hypocritical statement you just made, Potter," Lily replied. She rubbed the heels of her hands over her eyes.

"Yeah, I guess it is," he replied with a smile.

Lily went to stand up, but found that her legs did not want to cooperate and she collapsed.

"Whoa," James said as he reached out to catch her.

"I can stand up on my own, you know," Lily grumbled, her cheeks a slight pink.

"That remains to be proven," James retorted. He lifted her back up as she leaned against him. "Why are you so tired?"

"I can't tell you..." Lily replied. She felt one of his arms loop around her waist and the other support her other arm by cupping her elbow. Together they walked up to the seventh year's girls' dorm. He was stronger than he looked. And Lily couldn't get rid of the butterfly feeling in her stomach.

He opened the door and led Lily over to her bed and placed her on it. "Go to sleep. You need it. I'll tell your Professors that you are sick."

Lily shot back up. "No. I have to go to my classes! And I'm not sick."

James pushed her back down. "You need to sleep. And, yes, you are. Every night you come in dead tired and then you still stay up to finish homework. Sleep deprivation has not been kind to you Lily Evans."

But his speech fell on deft ears for Lily had already fallen back asleep.

James smiled as he pulled her bed covers up to her shoulders. And in what he would later dub as a moment of insanity, he kissed her forehead. She shifted slightly onto her side and smiled contently. He looked at her for a moment before turning around and walking out the door.

Chelsea grinned as she pulled open her bed hangings. Being the light sleeper she was, she had woken at the sound of Lily's voice and had peeked out. She hoped out of her bed and pulled a robe on over her pajamas.

"So, Mr. Potter, have you a thing for my best friend?" she asked when she got downstairs.

James jumped in surprise. Nobody was ever up this early save himself. "What?"

Chelsea sat down across from him. "You heard me. Spill."

James raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't even try fooling me. I always know when someone is lying so it's no use."

"For your information, I don't have a _thing_ for Lily." But as he said it, his cheeks turned slightly pink. "But why does she always look like she's about to drop dead?"

"Ah, the Great Unanswerable Question arises again." Chelsea said like one of the fake fortune-tellers at fairs. "All I know is that she heads off for my Mum's office after dinner every night for something. And when she comes back she is so tired that I have to stay up with her just to make sure she doesn't fall asleep while doing her homework."

"Since we're on the subject. What's with you?" James said.

"With me? What do you mean?"

"There's something odd about you – as my friend Remus put it."

"He's one to talk..." Chelsea muttered, but James didn't hear her.

Lily woke later that night only to find everyone in the whole House was gone. Then fully realized that it was dinnertime. She had missed all of her classes!

Lily jumped out of her bed and into the bathroom to shower. It took her all of twenty minuets to get in and out of the shower, pull her hair up into its normal messy bun and pull her robes over her head. She laced up her boots, ran out the door, through the empty common room, and down the corridors to Jennis' office.

Once she heard the sound of feet moving she knew dinner was over and so she slowed down, walking to catch her breath. She took a few more deep breaths before knocking on the door.

"Come in," Jenni's voice commanded from behind the door.

Lily walked into the room; her face still slightly flushed.

"Red! What are you doing here? James told me you were sick," Jenni said.

Lily nodded, "I know he said that, but the real reason was that I was really tired."

"Ah, sleep deprivation." Jenni said knowingly.

"I still want to try." Lily said, knowing that Jenni would send her straight back to bed. "Please, Jenni, I think I might actually get it tonight."

Jenni looked at Lily thoughtfully. "Okay. But if you don't get it after three tries, I'm sending you back to bed."

Lily smiled in triumph as Jenni put her black cat, Cosmica, onto the desk. The feline proceeded to clean itself.

"Okay, concentrate," Jenni instructed.

Lily took a deep breath and as she expelled it, she looked at the cat in furious concentration. Then she placed her hands parallel to each other; fingers splayed out in front of her, and then jerked them slightly at the cat.

And this time it froze.

Lily screamed with happiness. "I did it! Jenni, I really did it!"

"Good job, Red!" Jenni praised. "Now, unfreeze Cosmica, and then freeze her again."

This time was easier. Lily unfroze the cat and before Cosmica could jump away, she was frozen again in mid-jump.

"This is so cool." Lily said as she unfroze Cosmica for the last time.

"Yes, it's a great feeling to know you have this kind of power, isn't it?" Jenni said.

Lily smiled. "But I'll have to try hard not be tempted to freeze my Professors." 

Jenni grinned, "yes, that is one of the catches. You must also not use this for your own personal gain."

Lily nodded. "Thanks, Jenni," then she walked out the door to head for the Gryffindor common room. Occasionally she stopped to freeze something just to make sure she could do it.

She said the password when she got to the portrait and walked back in.

"Lily!" Bell yelled, hopping up from her spot next to Sirius in a chair.

Lily looked at her, "what?"

Bell looked aghast that she could say it so nonchalantly. "Where have you been? You scared all of us!"

Lily rolled her eyes. "Somehow I doubt that they," she waved her hand at James, Sirius, and Remus, "would care if I was gone. But to answer your question I was down in Jenni's office."

"Why?" Jackie asked.

"I can't say," Lily replied as she sat down in the chair that she had fallen asleep in last night.

"Lily, I cannot believe that you are keeping secrets from us! We are your friends! You _can_ trust us, you know!" Arabella said.

Lily shuddered. Bell always scared her when she was mad. "I'm sorry, okay! But I can't tell you."

"Why not?" Jackie practically demanded.

Lily tried to control her temper, she really did. But with her newfound power she lost it. "I just can't, alright!" and then everyone froze. Chelsea with her mouth opened as if she was about to say something.

"I thought you finally got the hang of that."

Lily snapped her head to the side to see James walking towards her. There was the butterfly feeling again. He sat down on the arm of her chair. She was at loss for words. Not to mention frightened.

"What? Cat got your tongue?" James said with that quirky smile of his.

"Why aren't you frozen?" Lily demanded. Jenni had told her that only Dark Wizards wouldn't freeze.

James looked at her in shock. "It's not what you think, Lily." 

"Oh, it's not is it?" she yelled.

"I'll show you, just unfreeze that book," James said.

Lily looked at him. His eyes were pleading with her. Then she unfroze the book – and watched as James waved his hand and it flew into the chair across from it.

"Oh my god..." Lily said as she watched him smile. Then the room unfroze. With Lily's powers as new as they were, things didn't stay frozen long.

Chelsea started her statement, "Why can't – how'd you get over there, James?"

"I was sitting here the whole time," James lied.

Chelsea eyed him as Lily mentally smacked herself. James was an idiot... Chelsea always saw through lies.

But this time, it worked. Chelsea just shrugged it off.

"Well, I think I shall head off to bed now." Lily said loudly. And before anyone could protest she ran up the stairs went into her room.

"Yeah, I'm going too. I'm tired." Bell said. She got up and without word to anyone else, Sirius got up too and headed for his dorm.

Chelsea looked at James, then at his dorm door. He wasn't stupid.

"G'night," James said before faking a yawn and heading off in the direction of his room.

Chelsea waited until she heard the door shut to say anything. "So there's something "odd" about me, is there?"

Remus looked at her in surprise. "What?"

"James told me you thought there was something odd about me. And believe you me, you're one to talk."

He narrowed his eyes suspiciously, "what are you talking about?"

Chelsea just smiled and softly howled like a wolf.

Remus just about fell off his chair. He turned deathly white.

"Helps to have a mother who teaches," Chelsea said. "But I know how it feels, to be different. Night, Moony." She said mysteriously before going off to her dorm.

Lily woke at the early morning hour of six. Ever since James had woken her up three weeks ago at six, it had become a subconscious habit to wake early. She hadn't spoken a word about her power, or his, to James. In fact, they barely spoke more than what was necessary.

__

Just like it was before Bell started dating Sirius... Lily thought. She found it odd that she and Potters gang were friends now when they had never really spoken to each other before that year.

She walked downstairs after taking a shower and grabbed her thick book and opened it. Fantasy books were always her favorites. But now she felt like she was living in them; she was a witch. They were pure fantasy to Muggles.

"Hey, Lily."

Lily jumped, throwing her book into the air. She froze it quickly and turned around. "Don't do that!"

James chuckled as he caught Lily's book from its position in the air as it unfroze. "Jumpy?"

Lily glared at him and snatched her book back. Grumpily she reopened it and held it up in front of her face so she didn't have to see James.

"Lil," Chelsea's voice said from the top of the seventh year girls' staircase.

Lily turned around, as did James, to see what she wanted. "What's up, Chels?"

"You," Chelsea said with a weak grin.

Lily knew that look. She jumped up, forgetting her book in the chair. "Already?" she whispered.

Chelsea nodded. "I better go tell my Mum. Though I'm sure she already knows."

The two girls left James behind, a bewildered expression on his face, and walked out the portrait hole.

"Where will you go?" Lily asked quietly even though they were the only ones in the corridors.

Chelsea shrugged, "Mum says that there is a place for me to go, but I haven't asked her about it yet. I've just been heading out to the Forest before now."

Lily reentered the Gryffindor common room; she had left Chelsea with her mother. Though she felt slightly numb by the information Jenni had told her before she left.

"What was that all about?" James asked.

"None of your business." Lily snapped.

James stared at her, then left. He couldn't understand how Lily could be so nice one moment, and mean the next.

Lily watched him leave, then went after him. She didn't have the right to be so rude. She walked up the stairs that led to the boys' seventh year dorms and knocked on the door.

It was a sleepy Remus who opened it. Lily paled slightly, remembering what Jenni had told her, then gathered her courage again. "Did James come in here?"

Remus nodded, and turned back into the room. "James."

Lily waited until he showed up at the door. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap..."

James walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Lily looked at him expectantly; slightly uneasy about the way he was just staring into her eyes. "Are – are you just going to stand there?"

James blinked and seemed to snap out of it. "It's okay. I didn't mean to butt into your business."

Lily smiled. "Well, I better get going. I have a lot to do before nightfall." Then she turned and walked towards her dorm leaving James to wonder what she was talking about.

It was the Christmas holidays, so Lily could prepare in her room without Jackie or Bell barging in on her. For once, she was happy that they went home for the holidays. She had to make sure she had her full concentration for tonight. 

"Are you sure you want do this?" Chelsea asked. She looked worse than she had this morning.

Lily took a deep breath. "Yes. I can do it. Let's go."

Chelsea pulled the hood of her deep forest green cloak over her head and Lily pulled her navy blue one up. They walked downstairs and went out the portrait hole; no one tried to stop them since the few people in the common room were in a heated discussion.

"This really sucks," Chelsea said as they walked towards the Whomping Willow.

Lily nodded, "but you can't change time, so you're just going to have to live with it now."

"At least I'll have some company...sort of." Chelsea replied.

"Is Remus already down –" Lily stopped short; they were at the Willow. She looked up, "okay, give me your cloak. The clouds are covering the moon – for now."

Chelsea unfastened the green cloak and handed it to Lily. "Do your stuff."

Lily put the cloak down and then focused on the tree. She closed her eyes and then waved her hands at the tree. Its branches froze. She then looked up again. "Go! Hurry, the clouds are moving."

Chelsea ran full speed to the entrance under the Willow and just as it was closing again, the clouds opened up and the branches unfroze.

Lily lifted her hood again and walked back to the castle. She hoped that Remus wouldn't think she was something that he could kill. And vice versa. The change was still hard on Chelsea, as she had only been bitten around Easter time last year.

__

So that's what she meant by she had to prepare for tonight. Chelsea's a werewolf just like Remus... James thought as he watched Lily walk back into the castle. And for some reason he couldn't explain, his heart sped up. He turned away from the window and grabbed his Invisibility cloak; he was visiting Remus – and apparently Chelsea – tonight. Alone. Sirius had gone home for the Christmas holidays.

~~

****

Author's note: I thought the story needed a little _zing_ so I thought making Chelsea a werewolf would do the trick. Hope you liked it, please review.

Thanks reviewers:

Firebird16: Thanks! ;)

Satans Little Princess: 'Or else'? Or else what? Lol.

QueenOfTheQueer: Let's hope you can't read my mind. That'd be creepy.

meg: Yes, I'm serious. I turned him in, but the school only gave him 2 days in-school suspension. Buttheads. /

christly: Developing to your liking?

Milkyweed: Great minds do think alike!

Madam Finnigan-Higgs: Thanks! It was a little easy to describe it.

Min Hee Ha: Did I answer your question with this chapter? :)

squirt: Thanks!


	4. Chapter Four

****

Fear

By: Ms. Perfect

"There's always a light at the end of the tunnel - but it's usually a train coming to run you over." - Unknown

*****

James threw the cloak over himself and then walked downstairs. If James had timed it right, Lily would be coming in the same time they needed to go out.

And he was right. Lily was lowering her hood as she came in and they were going out. Then she stopped. Looked. And then shrugged. She could have sworn that something had brushed her hand.

__

Hopefully Chelsea is okay by Christmas. She could kill someone if she missed it. Lily thought as she changed into her pajamas in her dorm room.

Though the transformation only lasted one day, it took its toll on Chelsea. She usually had a few days bed rest to recover.

She went and sat the windowsill, thinking about everything. As Lily was looking down across the grounds she gasped. There was a pure white stag going into the Willow's entrance.

Chelsea had entered the Shack to find that she wasn't the only one. Remus was already there. But she took barely a second glance at him; she was in too much pain. She needed to bite someone or something. But all she could see was furniture.

That is, until James showed up.

Chelsea leapt as James first, intent on biting him, but Remus jumped in front of his friend, hackles raised. Chelsea continued in her leapt regardless and Remus copied her. They bit each other, fighting until she was lying on the floor, whimpering and nursing her wounds.

Remus looked back at Chelsea before walking out the door with James for a night on the town. By two in the morning, they had returned to the Shack and James left his friend to watch over Chelsea.

"She must not have gotten bit too long ago." James mused as he walked back up to the castle under the cover of his cloak. "At least she's got Remus to keep her in check."

"Castillo," James whispered to the Fat Lady after checking if anyone was around. She swung open and the boy walked into the common room and then to their room.

Remus nudged Chelsea awake and she growled. He could tell that she was fighting her werewolf instinct now. She was trying not to attack. Finally she whimpered again and went back to cleaning her dried wounds. Remus lay down next to her and went to sleep.

Lily went back down to the tree the next night, with Chelsea's cloak in hand. Waiting for her friend to emerge from the Willow. She was sitting against a tree, almost hidden by a bush when she heard footsteps and then voices.

"I'm sorry I attacked," Chelsea's tried voice rang out.

"It was instinct. I don't blame you for it – I was like that at first too," Remus' voice replied.

Lily turned and peered through the foliage of the bush and smiled. Remus and Chelsea were walking hand and hand, though it looked like Remus was pretty much holding Chelsea up. She waited until they had gone inside to get up and follow.

__

Why would a stag go to the Shack when there is not one, but two, werewolves in there? Lily asked herself. She couldn't forget that stag; it had stood out very clearly in the dark of the night.

"Spying on people, are you?" a teasing voice asked.

Lily turned around quick enough to look like a blur. "What?"

James looked at her oddly, then smiled. "I know you saw what I saw."

Lily nodded, mentally telling her stomach to stop fluttering. Why did she always feel nervous around James? Was it that she thought that maybe he would attack her too if she trusted him too much?

She backed away from him, not wanting to turn her back to him. "I better go see how Chelsea is. Bye!" Then she turned and ran inside before he could say another word.

"Hey, Lil," Chelsea said.

"You're oddly cheerful and energetic..." Lily said as both girls changed into their pajamas.

"Remus gave me some weird potion that gave me my energy back. He says that he just came up with it; which would explain why my mum never gave it to me before," Chelsea said.

"So you and Remus have gotten pretty close, eh?" Lily said, eyebrows wiggling.

Chelsea, for the first time that Lily knew of, blushed. "Be quiet."

"Chelsea an' Remus, sittin' in a—" Lily started singing but was cut off when Chelsea threw a pillow at her head.

Lily grabbed another pillow and threw it back at Chelsea. Soon there was an all out pillow war going on and both girls were shrieking whenever they got hit.

"What's happening?" James' voice asked. Lily and Chelsea stood frozen in their spots as Lily's pillow hit Chelsea, causing her head to snap back slightly.

"Can we help you?" Lily asked, trying to hold in her laughter. And boy was she trying.

Remus looked at the two girls. "You guys sound like your being attacked."

"Well – we are." Chelsea said matter-of-factly.

"By whom?" James asked.

Lily and Chelsea exchanged looks. "You guys!" Then took the pillows they held and threw them at the two boys.

James and Remus exchanged the same type of look before shutting the door behind them, picking up the pillows, and running at the girls. They screamed as they were hit with the pillows.

Lily jumped onto Chelsea's bed to avoid the pillow and then jumped off the other side, grabbing a pillow at the same time. For once she was glad that Chelsea had a habit of sleeping with about a bazillion pillows. She came up behind James and whapped him over the head.

James flew forward, but then he caught his balance. He turned around to look at Lily, who just smiled and waved before throwing another pillow at his head.

"Oh crap," she said as he caught it. Lily backed up – right into Chelsea.

"Lily, what are we going to do?" Chelsea asked.

"I'm thinking! I'm thinking!" Lily replied.

Remus was coming towards Chelsea and James, Lily. They both raised the pillows over their heads and as they swung down, Lily grabbed Chelsea and flung her onto her bed. The sound of the pillows hitting James and Remus sent them into a laughing fit.

"Oh, you think that's funny do you?" James asked as he and Remus hit the girls with pillows.

Lily jumped up and twisted James' arms behind his back. "Chelsea – pillow!"

Chelsea stood up and grabbed a pillow, and before Remus could save his friend, a new voice was heard.

"What on earth is going on in here?"

It was Professor McGonagall.

Lily knew that they must have looked funny. "Nothing..."

"What are you doing to Mr. Potter?" she asked.

Lily dropped one of James' arms. "Just – showing Chelsea some self-defense. And, uh, James here so kindly volunteered to be my dummy," Lily kicked James heel.

"Yeah, just self-defense," James added.

McGonagall pursed her lips. "Fine. But keep it down, you aren't the only ones here for the holidays."

Lily and Chelsea busted out laughing as soon as McGonagall was gone. The slapped palms and then sat down on the floor.

"So, what d'you want to do now?" Chelsea asked, pulling Remus down next to her.

James sat down so that they formed a circle. "Don't know. Remus?"

Remus shrugged.

"How about Truth or Dare?" Chelsea suggested

Lily rolled her eyes. Chelsea was obsessed with the Muggle game since Lily had taught her the rules.

"Remus, truth or dare?" Chels asked.

"Truth." Remus said.

"Who do you like?"

Lily laughed.

"You," Remus said, his cheeks pink. "Lily, truth or dare?"

"Um... truth."

"Do you believe in love?"

"No," Lily said plainly.

"Why not?" James asked.

Lily turned to him, "only one question a turn. Chels, truth or dare?"

"Dare!" Chelsea said boldly.

Lily smiled knowing that Chelsea would kill her later for this, "kiss Remus – on the lips." Childish dare, yes, but who cares?

Chelsea paled slightly. Then she nodded. Leaning over to Remus, she kissed him on the lips. She pulled back, her face slightly red, "James, truth or dare?"

"Truth," James replied.

"What's your worst fear?"

James thought about this for a moment. "My father."

Chelsea looked confused, but didn't pry.

"Lily, truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"What's the worst thing that's ever happened to you?" James asked.

Lily licked her lips, and shifted her eyes to Chelsea. "I – I, uh, I was assaulted." Then before they could ask she said: "Chels, truth or dare?"

Chelsea gave Lily a half-smile. "Truth."

"Did you ever like Nick?"

Chelsea burst out in laughter. "Nick? I don't mean to be rude, but hell no!"

Lily smiled, laughing slightly.

"James, truth or dare?" Chelsea asked.

"Truth," James said.

"Do you believe in love?"

"Yeah, I guess so," James replied. "Lil, truth or dare?"

"Dare." Lily replied.

"I dare you to tell us how you were assaulted," James said.

"James, don't–" Chelsea started, then she faltered.

"I don't want to talk about it," Lily said quietly.

"Too bad, you have to. It's a dare," James replied.

Lily looked down at her feet. Then took a deep breath.

"Lil – you don't have to tell them—" Chelsea said again.

Lily shook her head, "no. It's time I talked about it. Don't you think?"

Chelsea sighed.

"I was talking with my friend Sam one day before classes started while I was at Salem. While we were joking about some potions that Chels and I had purposely messed up so we could get out of class, a boy who had been nothing short of evil as of late," she faltered. "He, uh, he put me in a choke hold I later found out was called the Sleeper. It's called that because it causes the person who is in the hold to fall unconscious. There, now you know. Happy?" Lily demanded, tears forming in her eyes.

Chelsea moved to comfort her friend, but Lily just stood up and walked out of the room. Chelsea glared at James. She didn't need to say anything; her look said it all.

"Lil – wait." Chelsea said as she got up and ran after her friend.

James looked to Remus. Both were speechless.

__

That would explain why she is so jumpy... James thought.

"Lily, it's okay." Chelsea said. She was sitting next to Lily who was silently crying into her friends' shoulder for the first time in a year.

"If it's so okay, then why do I feel like this?" Lily asked.

Chelsea looked down at her friend. "Because what happened to you was horrible. And you have held it in all this time. Lily, that's not good for you."

"I'm so stupid. I shouldn't have told them... I shouldn't have trusted them." Lily said.

Chelsea pushed Lily up to meet her eyes. "Lily Ann Evans, you listen to me and you had better listen good. Never _ever_ say that. Trusting them is the only way you will be able to overcome this. Do you know how funny it is to hear someone say that they are afraid of _men_?"

Lily sniffled and wiped her eyes. "You have a point."

"And besides, men are just women without boobs and sensitivity."

Lily burst out laughing though her sniffling. Chelsea always knew how to cheer her up.

Over the next two days, Lily didn't speak to Remus or James. She couldn't. And now it was Christmas Eve.

"I love Christmas!" Chelsea yelled out into the common room.

"Really? I don't think the Ravenclaws heard you." Lily said with a smile. "You had better get to bed now our Santa won't come."

At this, Chelsea hopped into her best, shutting the door with a Closing charm.

"Night, Chels." Lily murmured.

"G'night, Lily." Chelsea said. "Oh, and Lily."

"Yes?"

"Talk to James tomorrow. He's really worried about you." Chelsea said.

"I'll think about it."

~~

****

Author's note: Yes, well, that was eventful. As a forewarning, the next chapter will be even more eventful. Trust me. Review, please. 

****

Thanks to:

QueenOfTheQueer

squirt: I was thinking of making Lil an animagus but when I re-read the story, I just don't see where it would come in nicely.

Princess Evil

Myxa: Favorites, eh? Thanks! :)

Bella Back

Min Hee Ha

HersheyDogg


	5. Chapter Five

****

Fear

By: Ms. Perfect

"People say that love is a beautiful thing...Ha! Not when you can't have the person you love!" - Michelle

*****

"Lil, just talk to me!" James said, snatching for Lily's arm.

Lily wrenched it out of his reach, turning her glare at him. "Chelsea told me to talk to you, James. But I don't know if I really want to."

"Why?" James asked, actually looking hurt.

"You! What you said!" Lily shot back.

James stared, bewilderment in his eyes. "What on earth are you talking about?"

"This is a direct quote from Chels' mouth: 'D'you think she's being overdramatic or was what happen to her really as bad as she says?'"

James eyes widened.

Lily turned away from him, yelling back over her shoulder as she stormed away, "I had hoped that she had made that up or heard it as a rumor James."

"Lily!" James yelled, but she was already too far away to hear him.

"Well, you were right, Chels," Lily said as she flopped onto the bed.

Chelseas' book fell onto her knees. "Really?"

"You know what... I should just give up on guys. All the men I ever have liked have turned out to be, for lack of a better word, jackasses."

It was Christmas day now and unlike Chelsea, she wasn't the biggest fan of the holiday. She sat down next to her small pile of packages and opened the one from her father. Lily smiled. It was a photo album of things they had done together. The first picture was her favorite. An eight-year-old Lily was sitting on her father shoulders as they attended her very first hockey game.

Then she picked up a long, but slender box and untied the string. As she lifted the lid, Chelsea walked back into the room.

"What's that?" she asked.

Lily shrugged and lifted the top off. "What the—" it was a simple black rose. She took it out of the box, careful not to touch any of the thorns.

"A black rose? Is there a note?" Chelsea asked, taking the rose into her hands.

Lily looked in the box and pulled out a small piece of paper. "Yeah."

"Well – what's it say?"

Lily opened it and gasped. "Ch—Chelsea..."

Chelsea knelt down next to her friend. "What?"

Lily covered her mouth and handed to note over.

"_"Don't worry. I'll finish what I started. Merry Christmas."_ Lily what does he mean?"

Lily shook her head, her hair flying in her face. "I don't know. Chelsea, I'm scared. He's capable of doing almost anything."

They put the note aside and Lily tried hard not to think about Austin's note for the rest of the time. Why would he send her it? He couldn't get to her; Dumbledorr wouldn't dare let him into the school. She knew that Dumbledorr knew what had happened to her.

"What do you think you should do?" Chelsea asked later that day.

"Honestly, I don't know," Lily replied. "I mean, it's not like he can get to me. Dumbledorr wouldn't let him."

"True," Chelsea replied. "And it's not like he even knows where Hogwarts is."

"Yeah," Lily yawned and climbed into her bed. "I'm kind of tired. Wake me up for dinner."

"'Kay."

Lily heard the door shut and she curled up, closing her eyes.

__

She was in a room, darkened, as there were no signs of any lighting fixtures save the dying fire. Where she was, she didn't know.

She looked around something didn't feel right.

"Hello?" she whispered. Nothing. Not a sound. Then the clicking of shoes told her that she was not alone.

"Who's there?" she asked, this time she raised her voice.

The clicking stopped right behind her, and she spun around, her hair whipping her in the face before falling away from her emerald eyes.

"I knew this charm would come into some use," the familiar cold voice said.

Her eyes widened. "Wh-what do you want, Austin?"

His lips curled into a sinister smile. "Merely to finish what I started. And would have finished if there hadn't been people around to witness." He said the last part as if he was spitting out sour milk.

"No. Stay away from me, Austin," she said, backing away.

"Did you like my present?"

"You're sick. You know that? You're sick!" she screamed. She had turned to run when the all-to-familiar feeling came back. His arm was already around her fragile throat.

Lily gasped for air. "Why?" she managed.

She didn't get an answer. All she got was blackness. Blackness she tried to fight, but it was a losing battle, the arm just tightened.

"Lily? Lily!" Chelsea shrieked. She had come to wake her friend up for dinner only to find her gasping for air and clawing at an invisible arm around her neck. "Oh my god... The Dream charm."

James and Remus ran through the door after hearing Chelsea's scream.

"What happened?" James asked, worry in his voice.

Chelsea was near hysteria. "Remus, go get Dumbledorr! Now!"

Remus ran out the door, looking back only once. He didn't understand what was going on.

"Oh, god. Lily you have to wake up!" Chelsea said. Forgetting that she was mad at him, she turned to James. "James, we have to get her to wake up! Austin has her in the Dream charm!"

"Austin? Who's Austin?" 

"James!" Chelsea yelled. She lifted her hand, knowing she might regret it later and slapped Lily's face. It didn't work.

__

Lily fell limp in Austin's grasp. He smiled when he knew his work was done and left in a small puff of smoke.

Lily's physical body went limp as she went unconscious.

"We have to get her to the Hospital Wing now," Chelsea said.

James picked Lily's limp body up and they walked as quickly as they could to the Wing, meeting Dumbledorr and Remus halfway there.

"What happened to her?" Madam Pomfrey asked when they got there.

"A Dream charm," Chelsea replied as Pomfrey had James put Lily into a bed.

Dumbledorr looked at Chelsea, "we don't teach Dream charms here."

Chelsea was close to tears. "They taught them at Salem. It doesn't matter how far you are from the person if you want to get into their dream!"

"She's merely unconscious," Pomfrey said. "But I think it would be best if she stayed here." And then she shooed everyone, including Dumbledorr, out.

Pomfrey gave Lily a look-over before closing the curtains, muttering something about "dangerous charms."

"Please, Madam Pomfrey!" Chelsea begged. "It's not like we are going to do anything to her – she's our _friend_."

Pomfrey looked at them, then sighed. "Fine. But only for ten minuets."

"Thanks!" Chelsea said as she, Remus, and James walked towards Lily's bed.

"Honestly, there's no reason to talk to a sleeping person..." Pomfrey said before going back to her work.

"So how exactly did this happen?" James asked Chelsea.

She sat down on the edge of Lily's bed. "A Dream charm allows someone to get into someone else's dream. Whatever happens in the dream is mirrored onto the people's physical bodies. It's dangerous, now that I think about it."

"But how did it happen?" Remus asked.

Chelsea shrugged. "I don't know. I mean, Austin must have used it to ... to finish what he started. That's what he meant!"

"You're losing us," James said.

"Austin sent Lily a black rose for Christmas with a note saying that he would 'finish what he started'. He meant that he was going to really hurt her this time. Damn it! As if she didn't mistrust guys fully then, she does now."

Madam Pomfrey then showed up. "Ms. Shepherd, I'm going to have to ask you to leave. You are getting far to loud."

"But—" Chelsea started, but Pomfrey was already shooing her out.

Remus and James exchanged glances when they heard Chelsea yelling at Pomfrey. 

"I'll go calm her down," Remus said with a sigh. He stood up and walked out and soon could be heard telling Chelsea to calm down and be quiet.

James stood next to the head of Lily's bed. She looked so peaceful. _As if she didn't mistrust guys fully then, she does now. _Chelseas' voice filled his head. Would she really be like that? Would she mistrust all men again? He moved a piece of her curly red hair from her face and tucked it behind her ears.

Lily's eyes fluttered open when someone touched her face. She shrunk back in her bed frightened it was Austin.

"Lily, it's okay. It's just me," James said.

She just stared at him, fear and anger in her eyes. _It's just James. He won't hurt you._ She told herself. _But he already has... he didn't believe me..._

"Lil?" James asked.

Lily shrank deeper into her bed, glaring at him. "What do you want?"

James looked at her, confusion in his eyes. "Lily, it's just me. James." When she just continued to look at him with fear in her glaring eyes, he stood up with a sigh.

"She just shrank away from you?" Chelsea asked when James described with Lily had done.

"Yeah, it was like she thought I was going to hurt her," James replied. "She also seemed pissed off at me."

Chelsea looked thoughtful. "What do you expect? You did say that you thought she might be being a little overdramatic."

James sighed. "I guess that was one of my stupider moments."

"You think?" Chelsea replied harshly.

"You don't have to rub it in."

Chelsea stood up, clapping a hand on his shoulder, sighing. "This is _your_ problem. _You_ figure it out."

James watched as Chelsea went up to the girls' dorm.

"Lily," Chelsea said, knocking on the bedpost.

"What?" Lily replied.

Chelsea sat down on Lily's bed. "Lil, don't be scared."

"Why not? Just when I let my guard down, I get hurt again. Trusting guys is hazardous to my health," Lily replied.

"Lily, you have to learn to get over your fears."

"Easier said than done."

"Lily, are you ever going to forgive him?" Chelsea said.

"Austin? Hell no!" Lily almost yelled.

"I mean James. Jeez, Lily, I'm beginning to wonder if he's just as wary around girls as you might be around guys. Though he hasn't a proper reason to be..." she said thoughtfully. She shook her head to clear her thoughts. "Anyway, I don't think he'll hurt you."

"He already has, Chels," Lily said before covering her head with her comforter.

Lily woke the next morning and rolled over to look out the window by her bed. Then she sat straight up and moved the end of her bed quickly. After calming herself down, she reached out and grabbed the pure red rose off her pillow that had startled her. There was note attached.

__

Oh, god... she thought. It could be another note from Austin. Could be. She opened the note and read it. _"Trust: to place confidence in, to hope. You'll learn to trust again."_

"Who's that from?" Chelsea asked.

"I don't know. It doesn't say... Weird," Lily replied. Chelsea shrugged and walked into the bathroom to shower.

Over the next week and a half, Lily woke to a rose on her pillow every morning. Each time a new note was with it. Chelsea was starting to tease her about it; saying she had a secret admirer. But who it was, was the question.

"So who d'you think it is?" Chelsea asked.

Lily looked up. "Well, it's not Remus, he's got you. I doubt its James... he knows that I'm still very pissed off at him. I don't know who it could be. It could you be or it could be Pappy."

"It's not me. I don't have the money to buy you a rose a day," Chelsea said.

"You wouldn't have to. You know Transfiguration!" Lily replied.

"It's still not me. I'm not smart enough to think of stuff like this," Chelsea said as she then reverted back to their earlier conversation. "C'mon, Lil. If you get too scared, you can do your little freezing thing."

"Okay, okay," Lily said, putting her hands up in surrender. They were going on the fourth hour of Chelsea asking. "I'll go."

Chelsea smiled in triumph. She grabbed her friends' hand and dragged her all the way down to the castle doors.

It was the first Hogsmeade weekend after Christmas Break. Sure, Lily had agreed to go; but she was still slightly jumpy around guys.

"Hey, you two made it," Remus said with a smile.

"It only took me _four hours!_" Chelsea replied.

Lily walked away from the guys to take refuge next to Jackie. Jackie, Bell, and Sirius had been updated on what had happened during the break when they had gotten back. After that, Jackie had become Lily's companion for most of the outings since Chelsea and Bell were with Remus and Sirius.

Jackie linked her arm through Lily's. "How you doin'?"

Lily shrugged. "So, so."

"James, try and talk to her. You can't just look at her. Besides, I think she's cooled off about the comment a little," Chelsea whispered as they made their way towards Hogsmeade.

James sighed and walked over to Lily. "Hi Lily."

Lily jumped slightly, the glared at him. "Hi James."

__

I want to forgive him... At least I think I do. But... will he just talk behind my back again? Lily thought.

James finally sighed in frustration. "Why are you so angry with me?"

Lily glared at him. He had the balls to ask that after he knew very well why she was angry with him? "If you don't know I'm not going to tell you!" she yelled before catching up with Chelsea.

~~

****

Author's note: Hm, well, anyway. Hope you liked the chapter. Romance is coming later on... maybe. Plus you'll find out who's sending the roses, though I think you all with have your guesses right now. Please review. I'm off to eat my frosted animal cookies... :D!

Thanks reviewers:

Myxie: Thanks. ;)

Jade: Did you press the 'submit review' button twice? 'Cause you're review is there twice. That's okay though.

fairygirl: Now you know. :)

Princess Hermione: I like your name!

heart2heart: Thanks for your review! You really helped me change the story line into something that I like even better! And yes, I agree with your friends, you are quite the lil' muse.

enoimreH: Creative lil' name you got there! I had to double take on it when I first saw it!

SAKURAinTOKYO: I kept going! Lol.

fawnwv: You were hyper when you reviewed, weren't you? ;D

Enslave: I like your name, hehe!

Satans Little Princess: I update weekly, I don't know if that means I'm fast or you're slow...

QueenOfTheQueer: Wasn't it brilliant? Lol, just kidding! Can't have myself getting a big head now can I?

meg: Yeah, I love long chapters!

squirt: You'll just have to wait and see if you didn't get your answer in this chapter!

Princess Evil: This is more! :)

Shining Star: Isn't that a great line? I thought it up as I was typing. – You have a purple poodle? COOL!

Min He Ha: No, she didn't write that. I got it from someone's AOL profile.

Lydia: Yeah, that whole telling/showing this is a really bad thing to do and I wish I would catch it when I proofread my stories before posting... but, I don't.

Katie Weasley: Now you know what the note said, eh?

roxycanadian2002: I continued!


	6. Chapter Six

****

Fear

By: Ms. Perfect

"You know what top secret means?"

"Yeah. It's the kind of mission where you get medals – but then send 'em to your relatives." - Pearl Harbor

*****

"Still mad at him, I see," Chelsea said as the girls split away from the guys. They would meet up at Three Broomsticks later.

"It's like he doesn't even know why I'm mad at him!" Lily yelled, causing people to stare. "What are you looking at!" she yelled to an old couple.

Chelsea pulled Lily into the nearest store. "Holy crap. Calm down, Lil! Besides, if you think about it... he was just trying to make up."

Lily snorted in disbelief. "I don't really call him acting like he doesn't know why I'm mad at him 'making up'."

Arabella looked up from the rack she was looking through. "Isn't there a saying that goes: "_A life without trust, is no life at all"_?"

Lily looked confused, then realized what Arabella was trying to say. "Bell... the line is: _"A life without _love_, is no life at all"_."

"Either or," Bell replied.

"You're crazy. Besides, I don't even believe in love," Lily said.

"Yeah – why is that?" Jackie asked.

"I'm not sure... I guess I just don't believe in something that causes so many people to get hurt," Lily replied.

"How can you say that love only causes hurt?" Bell asked loudly.

Lily raised an eyebrow. "Like this: love only causes hurt!"

Chelsea and Jackie snickered.

"But, Lil, love is the best feeling in the world!" Bell replied.

"Oh... so my lil' Bell is in love, is she?" Lily retorted.

Arabella blushed as everyone laughed.

"Let me put it this way," Lily said as she realized they had entered Hogsmeades branch of Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. "I don't believe in love now – but that doesn't mean that my mind cannot be changed."

Bell nodded, "okay."

Chelsea looked around. "Why are we in here?"

Jackie shrugged, "You pulled Lily in here before she could attack small children, we just followed."

"Well I wouldn't have attacked any small children... Just a certain messy haired boy," Lily said with a grin as Bell looked at every robe.

"Hey, we had better get to Three Broomsticks," Jackie stated.

Chelsea quickly nodded in agreement, and Lily smiled as the wolf-girl practically ran out the door. She had always claimed that the Malkin's scared her. Somehow. Nobody really understood it.

"Chelsea, don't make me say something that'll make you do you-know-what." Lily said warningly when Chelsea had almost told a secret that she didn't want reveled.

Everyone looked at the two as Chelsea narrowed her eyes.

"You wouldn't," Chelsea said.

Lily raised her eyebrows at the challenge. "So Chelsea. What's long and hard when it goes in, and sticky when it comes out?"

Chelsea gave Lily a shocked look. She didn't know Lily had such a perverted mind. Shrugging her shoulders, she took a big swig of her Butterbeer.

"Chewing gum," Lily said as if it should have been the first thing that came to their minds.

All the sudden, Butterbeer flew from Chelsea's nose (her mouth had been covered by her hand) as she snorted with laughter.

"Ew! Chelsea!" Bell screamed. She was covered in Butterbeer. Sirius was too busy laughing to notice.

"You know you love me," Lily said innocently, batting her eyelashes.

Chelsea rolled her eyes and threw a chip at Lily.

Lily grinned. "Thanks!"

In the beginning of February, Lily's trust all men in general – had become better. But she was still wary of men that looked suspicious.

She made her way downstairs, freezing everything and everyone so she could have some private time to do something she hadn't done in a long time: sing away her problems. Namely James.

__

You know everything that I'm afraid of

You do everything I wish I did

Everybody wants you, everybody loves you

I know I should tell you how I feel

I wish everyone would disappear

Every time you call me, I'm too scared to be me

And I'm too shy to say

Ooh, I got a crush on you

I hope you feel the way that I do

I get a rush

When I'm with you

Ooh, I've got a crush on you

A crush on you

You know, I'm the one that you can talk to

And sometimes you tell me things that I don't want to know

I just want to hold you

And you say exactly how you feel about her

And I wonder, could you ever think of me that way

Ooh, I got a crush on you

I hope you feel the way that I do

I get a rush

When I'm with you

Ooh, I've got a crush on you

A crush on you

Ooh, I wish I could tell somebody

But there's no one to talk to, nobody knows

I've got a crush on you

A crush on you, I got a crush

You say everything that no one says

But I feel everything that you're afraid to feel

I will always want you, I will always love you

I got a crush on you

I hope you feel the way that I do

I get a rush

When I'm with you

Ooh, I've got a crush on you

A crush on you

I got a crush on you

I hope you feel the way that I do

I get a rush

When I'm with you

Ooh, I've got a crush on you

A crush on you

James stood behind the staircase, hidden from Lily's view. She was a great singer. But what troubled him was: why did she look so sad now?

Lily plopped down in a chair, sighing as she did so. _Why does everything have to be so confusing? _She didn't feel angry with James now... It had be two months since his comment after all.

"Hey, Lil."

Lily jumped slightly. Then she saw the familiar looking eyes. _Damn those eyes..._ she thought, knowing she didn't mean it.

"What's up?" Lily asked. She was trying to will away the butterflies. Lily didn't know why they kept coming back whenever she saw James.

"I was just wondering ... are you still mad at me?" James asked as he sat down across from her.

Lily sighed. "I'm not entirely over the comment, but I never will be. You're just going to have to deal with me being a bit miffed about if for the rest of our lives," she replied. "You – didn't hear anything, did you?"

"Hear what?" James asked. He thought it better to pretend he hadn't heard. She obviously was shy about her singing.

"Never mind," Lily said with a small smile.

"Lily!" Chelsea shrieked.

Groggily, Lily woke up, slurring her words. "Whathahell?"

Chelsea was standing over Lily, holding a rose in her hand and a note in the other.

"Wos that?" Lily slurred again. She was still half-asleep.

"I saw it on your pillow, so I picked it up!" Chelsea explained.

Lily's head shot up. "What on earth are you talking about? I haven't gotten a rose since the Hogsmeade trip a while back."

"Well, it looks like your secret admirer is back in action," Chelsea said a little too perky for Lily.

Lily sat up as Chelsea sat down. "What does it say this time? 'Ha! Got you Lily. You fool!'"

Chelsea smiled. "No. As a matter of fact... if says, _"Can I keep you Lily? Can I?"_"

"What?" Lily said in confusion.

Chelsea shrugged and handed the note over. "See for yourself. Doesn't make much sense. He can't keep you if he doesn't even talk to you. Save talking to you through the notes..."

Lily ignored Chelsea's babbling. "_Can I keep you?" What the hell does that mean? Arg! Who the hell are you!_

"By the way, Lil. D'you know who you're going to the Valentine's Day dance with?"

"Urg," Lily said. Her upper lip curled up in her obvious disgust. "Why the hell would I go to the Hell-entine's Day dance?"

"Because it will be fun!" Chelsea said like it was common knowledge.

Lily rolled her eyes. "Chels, I don't like Valentine's Day. In fact... I pretty much hate it! Why would I want to go?"

"Because I know someone who might just ask you," Chelsea said slyly.

Lily waited. All the while thinking: _who cares?_

"Would you go if he asked you?"

"Chelsea, I already told you. _I_ – _don't_ – _like_ – _Valentine's_ – _Day_!" she said, stressing each word.

"_Still_, if he asked you?" Chelsea persisted.

Lily threw her hands up in defeat. "If I say 'yes,' can I go back to sleep?"

"You could pass out for all I care," Chelsea said as she ran from the room.

Lily rolled her eyes again. Muttered. And fell back onto her pillow for another hour of sleep. But that hour never came because she was too curious about who the mysterious sender was. He knew her name, so it had to be someone at the school. But who? Why didn't he just come up to her instead of sending roses? Granted, it was nice that he did... but it would be nicer if he talked to her.

Then she shot up in the bed with an almost disgusted thought. Could it be a girl-sender?

__

Urg, Lily said to herself. "Okay... stop thinking about it, Lily. Just go back to sleep!"

"Lily?" James asked.

Lily didn't look up from her book. "Hmm?"

"Wanna go to the Valentine's dance with me?"

Lily looked up, a pained look on her face. "I don't really like Valentine's Day, James. I wouldn't be much fun."

"I know you don't. But I figured that we could go as friends. Besides, won't it be boring for you? – Just sitting up here all alone, I mean," James said.

She shrugged. "I've got enough books to last me a lifetime... I wouldn't be bored."

"Please?" he begged in a childish voice, a cheeky grin on his face.

Lily thought about it, then heaved a sigh. She would end up being dragged there by Chelsea anyway. "Oh, fine. I'm not one for Valentine's Day, so if you have a horrid time, don't blame me. I'll just say 'I told you so.'"

"Deal," James said with a chuckle.

"So... Chelsea and Remus are gettin' pretty close aren't they?" Lily said, trying to strike up a conversation. The silence was annoying.

James nodded. "What did you expect? They're both ... you know. And I guess that makes them closer than normal."

"Yeah, it does. I think it's good for them both. Chels is finally off that weird potion. The ... changes are easier now," Lily replied. "It's weird, though. She's got this huge secret that only you, me, Remus, and Sirius know about; and you and I have our big secrets," Lily looked back at her book.

"Good book?"

"Great book!" Lily said.

James smiled. "Why do you read fantasy? You're pretty much in a fantasy."

"You just answered your own question," Lily replied. "Besides, I heard that people read and write what the wish they had."

"Really?" James said, that comment sparked his interest.

"Yeah. See – there are some things I wish I had, and since I can't get them, I read about them."

"What's the book about?"

She pointed to the cover, "see these two? Well, the book is about them and how she starts out being unnoticed by him, but then she realizes that she's falling for him and he, her. Eventually they fall in love..." she trailed off, her face red. "I have to go," she said quickly before jumping up from the chair and speed walking towards her bedroom.

As she flopped down on her bed, she started laughing. Why? – She didn't know. The only reason she could come up with was that that had been an embarrassing, but funny, moment.

~~

****

Author's note: I'm so cruel, aren't I? Don't worry, I think the next chapter will be the last since I have a horrid case of Writer's Annoyance. (Not quite Writer's Block, not quite being able to write forever.) See you next chapter!

Thanks reviewers:

Me: Thanks! I love to write long chapters.

Aali Lyah: yes, Austin is mean. That's the point, hehe. And everything is always madness with me!

Heart2heart: hehe that is a great line. I used it the other day in school when I was pissed off with one of my friends. She thought it was so funny so forgot why she and I had been mad at each other. Ah, friendship ... it's crazy.

Lydia: I did? Yay for me! :)

fairygirl: I love seeing my stories on favorites pages! Thanks!

Shits and Giggles: I love that name! It's great. I'm glad that you finally read it!

meg: yeah, I know Dumbledore is spelt wrong, I just forgot to change it. Whoops. But hey! – You were the only one to note about it in a review!

Min Hee Ha: Thanks!

Merlin's Quill: Your favorite fic? Yay! Yes, love/hate's are getting old, which's why I didn't make this one a big-ass love/hate fic.

Bootyful2u: Yeah, Remus doesn't get married – in the book. But that doesn't mean I can't have fun and let him have a semi-normal life, does it? ;) And, yes, Chelsea is a great friend. She's modeled to be exactly like my best friend; incidentally her name is Chelsea!


	7. Chapter Seven

****

Fear

By: Ms. Perfect

"No man or woman is worth your tears, and the one who is won't make you cry." - Unknown

*****

"C'mon, Lily. You look great! Let's go!" Chelsea said, sweeping her arms towards the door to emphasize her point.

Lily's sigh issued from the bathroom. "Fine, fine. I'm coming."

Chelsea grinned at her friend as they walked out of the room.

"Hey James," Lily said, glaring darkly at Chelsea.

"Oh, c'mon. It'll be fun." James said as they walked down to the Great Hall.

"If you say so," Lily replied, still sounding doubtful.

As it turned out, Lily did have fun. She danced with James for the most time, but she didn't say no when Chelsea had jokingly asked her.

When another slow song came on, Lily knew it right away, and was apprehensive.

"Want to dance?" James asked.

Lily debated it. "Sure," she said, shrugging. She put her arms around his neck, and he, her waist.

"Do you always sing along with the songs?" he whispered into her ear.

Lily grinned sheepishly. "Sorry..."

"Never said it was a bad thing," James replied.

Lily snorted with laughter until James pinched her arm slightly and told her to be quiet. She stuck her tongue out at him.

"And you're seventeen? Mature..." he said jokingly.

Lily jabbed him with her finger in the chest. "You're one to talk, Mr. Potter."

"Want to go outside? It's kind of stuffy in here," James asked.

"Sure," Lily said. As they walked outside, she looked around for Chelsea. When she saw her, right as she was going out the door, she smiled.

Lily and James walked along the lakeside in silence. Lily looking up at the stars, James making sure she didn't walk right into the lake. Soon they were sitting down, Lily leaning against James, his arms around her to hold her up.

"Lily?" he asked in a whisper.

"Hm?"

He lowers his mouth to her ear, still whispering. "Can I keep you?"

Lily gasped. "It was you... You're the one that sent me the roses..."

James nodded.

"Then you – oh. Oh. I have to go..." Lily replied with shock, and confusion, laced in her voice. Without another word she got up and ran back to the castle. Her mind was bursting with questions; yet numb at the same time from the knowledge.

Lily avoided James.

James avoided Lily.

A perfect match in the game of Avoidance.

Lily sat on her bed, clutching her stuffed bear her father had given her when she was born. It was raggedy, but she loved it. It comforted her. She couldn't face James. Not until her thoughts were sorted through one by one.

"God, Lily. What happened?" Chelsea asked again. Had James done something to her? _If he did,_ she thought with mirth, _he's dead!_

Lily shook her head.

"Please, Lily! Please tell me what happened. I can help," Chelsea sat on the bed.

"Trust me, you can't. Not with this one, Chelsea. I have to figure this one out myself, or I'll think that I never could have made the decision on my own," Lily replied.

Chelsea sighed. Lily had been saying everything in monotone since Valentine's. What had happened? Why wouldn't she talk, look, or meet with, James? What was going on that Chelsea didn't know? She decided to find out. If she could.

"James... what's wrong with Lily?" she asked innocently.

James sat there quietly. Staring. Ever staring at the fire.

"James!" Chelsea yelled. Hoping to get his attention this time.

"What?" he asked.

Chelsea sighed silently. "What's wrong with Lily?"

He remained quiet.

Chelsea clenched her teeth and screamed.

"Why won't either of you talk to each other? What happened on Valentine's Day, James? _What_?"

James stood up, furious now. "Nothing! That's exactly what happened. Nothing."

Chelsea took an instinctive step back. "Nothing?" her voice full of curiosity.

"_Nothing_," James said. "She knows I'm the one that sent the roses. And do you want to know what she said? She said: 'then you – oh. Oh. I have to go.' And then she _ran away_."

"You sent her the roses?" Chelsea asked, brow furrowed.

James looked at her like it should have been common knowledge.

Chelsea slapped her palm to her forehead. "I should've guessed. I mean, who else would send Lily roses everyday..."

James sat back down in his chair. "I really like her. But it doesn't matter anyway, she pretty much hates me."

"No she doesn't," Chelsea said as she sat down across from him. "She's just confused. Or at least I _think_ she is. Anyway, why are you avoiding her?"

"Me? Avoiding her? I think you've got it a little mixed up, Chelsea," James said.

So there was one problem. Both thought the other was avoiding the other.

"Maybe, in a week or something, you should try talking to her. She's got a lot on her mind and she's going to go through it one by one. Even if it has nothing to do with – with this – whatsoever." And then she got up and left the room. Her head hurt, she needed to relax.

Lily quietly crept back into her room, shutting the door with a slight _click_. She had heard the whole conversation. Why did Chelsea have to be such a perceptive friend? She clung to the raggedy bear as if she would fall off the earth if she let go.

Lily knew she liked James. And now she knew that James liked her. So what was the problem?

She didn't want to get hurt again.

Over the next week, nothing changed. James and Lily still avoided each other.

"Hey Lily, are you ever going to talk to him?" Chelsea asked.

Lily pulled her tank top over her head. "At some point."

Chelsea rolled her eyes and fell backwards onto Lily's bed.

"Hopeless," she muttered.

"Oh shut up," Lily said, tossing her pillow into Chelsea's face.

Chelsea made a noise before tossing the pillow back onto Lily's face.

"I'm going to bed," Chelsea said before climbing over to her own bed.

Lily was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. When she woke, she couldn't remember her dream, though she knew it had been a weird one. Then her whole body froze. There was another rose on her pillow.

"Chelsea!" she hissed. "Chelsea, wake up!"

"Wha—?" Chelsea said sleepily.

"Look," Lily said, pointing to the rose on her pillow.

"What's it say?" Chelsea asked, sitting up.

Lily shrugged, "dunno. Haven't looked at it yet."

Chelsea rolled her eyes. "It won't bite. What's it say!"

Lily picked it up, opening the note. Then she gave Chelsea a confused look. "All it says it 'Hi.'"

"'Hi'?" Chelsea repeated.

Nodding, Lily passed the note to Chelsea.

"Huh," Chelsea said. Then she started laughing.

"What's so funny?"

"You guys," Chelsea stated.

"What?"

Chelsea sighed and went into teacher mode. "You too are so hopeless! He likes you; you like him. He's avoiding you; you're avoiding him. Hello! See a pattern anywhere?"

"That we're both –" Lily searched for the right word.

"Idiots?"

"Hey!" Lily said, throwing her pillow at Chelsea again.

Lily stood up and put her bathrobe on before Chelsea could hit her with the pillow.

"Coming?" Lily said in a mischievous voice.

Chelsea ran out the door, grabbing her own bathrobe at the same time. "What are you doing?" she hissed.

"Nothing," Lily's mischievous voice had changed into a singsong voice as she opened the boys' dormitory door and creeping over to James bed. Chelsea watched her friend from by Remus' bed.

"Lily!" she whispered.

Lily turned around, putting a finger to her lips. Chelsea threw up her hands in defeat and walked to Lily's side.

"Snitch boxers? That boy is obsessed..." Chelsea commented.

Lily nodded. "Rise and shine!" she said loudly as she signaled for Chelsea to open the window curtains, flooding the room with sunlight.

"Just five more minutes, Mum," James mumbled in his sleep.

Lily and Chelsea almost collapsed with silent laughter.

Lily sobered as best as she could and her voice took a stern tone. "James Potter, you get you butt out of bed or you'll be late for school!"

James shot up in surprise. "Wha—!"

Chelsea and Lily were hanging on each other; they were laughing so hard.

James rubbed his eyes. What was going on? He then spotted the two laughing girls and hurled a pillow at them.

"Hey!" they said defensively.

"Hey yourself! I was trying to sleep," James said.

Remus' voice came from beside the girls. "So was I."

Chelsea stuck her tongue out at him as Lily threw the pillow back at James.

"This isn't fair!" James said.

"Who ever said this was to be fair?" Lily asked.

Chelsea put her finger to her chin, tapping it thoughtfully. "Yes, who _did_ say it was supposed to be fair? Lily, I do believe that no one said it was to be fair."

"Chelsea, I do believe that you are right," Lily replied. Then, with her eyes, she motioned towards the door.

"Hope you enjoyed the wake-up call, guys!" Chelsea said as they shot through the door.

James, Remus, and Sirius stared at the slightly opened door as Lily stuck her head back in.

"By the way, nice boxers guys," she said with a wink before leaving, dragging the door shut behind her.

~~

****

Author's note: Crappy, crappy, _crappy_ ending, I know. But my Writer's Annoyance it getting worse. Er, yeah, so. Did you like it? Hope you did! This is only my second Harry Potter fanfic, and I don't know if I'm doing any good at all. Please review and tell me!

Thanks reviewers:

Satans Little Princess: Everyone is entitled to be slow once and a while! ;)

Lydia: Fluff... I'm not too great at writing fluff. Sorry if this doesn't satisfy your fluff need.

Shits and Giggles: Why thank you. :)

Jade: I know what that's like, when it won't load up. I hate it!

Fairygirl: Ooh, tabs. Sounds like you're in the Mafia. ;)

Min Hee Ha: Thanks for saying I was good at writing! I really, really like to hear that. It helps me out when I need inspiration.


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